NEW ZEALAND – The New Zealand government is allocating NZ$9.6 million (USD$5.95 million) towards a five-year program aimed at creating cultivated fish products. 

The initiative, supported by a central government grant, focuses on developing new fish cell production systems for cultivated seafood in the country.

The project is part of the Endeavour Fund, which is managed by Plant & Food Research, a state-owned agency that specializes in enhancing the horticulture, agriculture, and food industries. 

The funding will allow the agency to explore the potential for locally produced, lab-grown seafood. According to Plant & Food Research, the cultivated fish products could help New Zealand address the growing global demand for sustainable seafood and marine-derived products, including items like collagen.

Beyond the scientific aspect, the project will also investigate the social and cultural dimensions associated with cultivated fish in New Zealand, with special attention to Māori perspectives. 

The study will include discussions on the significance of certain species, such as tuna, crayfish, and mussels, which are considered taonga, or culturally significant to Māori.

The grant for this seafood project is one of many under the Endeavour Fund, part of a broader NZ$236 million (US$146M) commitment by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. 

This comes as New Zealand’s aquaculture industry set a goal to quadruple its sales by 2035. 

However, challenges from climate change and rising ocean temperatures threaten to cause significant losses. 

Experts have warned that the issue of overfishing, which has already had a notable impact on the sector, is not fully understood.

In recent years, concerns over fishing practices have escalated. 

Last year, bottom-trawling, a method of fishing, was criticized in a government report that identified it as one of the major causes of carbon release from the seabed into the ocean. 

Concerns over stock management also led to the suspension of Marine Stewardship Council certification for orange roughy, affecting exports of the fish to Europe and North America.

Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE